3 reasons to love budapest

1. you can buy pullovers at the grocery store (like the one i’m wearing, below) for the equivalent of $2 (the hungarian currency is worth less than the euro, the u.s. dollar and pretty much every other currency).

2.  when you cross the danube river via the chain bridge (seen below), you leave the ‘pest’ side and enter the ‘buda’ side, which makes all the difference in the world!  we stayed in a hostel near the train station on the ‘pest’ side, which is the far less picturesque of the two sides.  in fact, as we crossed over to the more desirable (read: less frightening) side, we looked at each other and said, “ohhh, so this is why people come to budapest”.

3.  no matter how chilly it may be outside, the medicinal baths feel amazing (the water is heated to a steamy 97 degrees!).  sure, a random hungarian man might swim up beside you and ask to borrow your camera while extending his soaking wet hands toward you, but after you tell him “no” 6 times, he should swim away (looking very offended, might i add).